Years Gone By
by KhaosKommander
Summary: Percy Jackson is alone. His Friends and family have been gone for years, leaving him to isolate himself from the outside world. But he finds that, he might be the only chance that the world has to live in peace once again. His journey won't be easy, as he will face his biggest challenge yet. An evil so powerful that he will have to trust in those that have try to defeat him before.
1. Becoming New Again

Darkness. These days, darkness was the only comfort that Percy knew. He sat in a dimly lit room, his old cabin at Camp Half-Blood. It was empty, just like the rest of the camp. There hadn't been a soul here other than Percy in years. No children running and playing. No laughter or fun. This was no longer a place of happiness. It was a battleground. A place of destruction. He felt so much pain here, yet he found himself not being able to leave. It was his prison. And yet, it was also his sanctuary. No matter how much pain this place caused him, he could never leave.

He rose off his old bed and walked towards the window, slightly opening the curtains. A part of him hoped it was all a nightmare. That his friends would be rushing toward his cabin door as he reached for the drapes. But to no avail. It was the same desolate place he came to know in the last couple of years. He looked to the Cabins. Most were burned to the ground, but some still stood, albeit battered and ran down. Cabin 5 looked like it had taken a heavy beating, but considering the things that had taken place inside its walls, it could have been worse. The Ares campers had fought valiantly, but it wasn't enough. Even the mighty warriors of the War god couldn't stand against the evils that invaded the borders of the camp. Cabin 7 was relatively unharmed compared to the others. But looks can be deceiving. The Campers in Cabin 7 had suffered a worse fate than any of the other campers at Camp Half-Blood. The children of Apollo didn't stand a chance. They had been awoken in the middle of the night to the sight of their demise. They had been tied up and tortured. And when the intruders had enough of their brand of fun, they had beheaded every single one of the residents of Cabin 7. Every Cabin inside the walls of the camp had been touched by darkness. Well, every cabin except for one. The one that Percy inhabited. Cabin 3. A coincidence that was not lost on Percy, him being the last Demigod on earth.

He looked to the sky. It was Gloomy, the darkest grey that he had ever seen. It looked Lifeless. The Lake at the camp was unruly, its waters untamed, as if it wasn't sure of role in the world. The Sun and Moon hadn't been seen for years. The Earth was dying, its people waiting for the day that would soon come where they would cease to exist. But they had bigger problems at the moment. He was well aware of the reasons for all that was going on with the world outside of his lonely cabin. The gods of Olympus were no more. They had perished along with the demigods. Percy was the lone survivor. Everyone that he had ever loved, gone. And it was all at the hands of the evil that invaded his home planet.

He sighed at the though. He had already been through his mourning period. He cry for months over the loss of his friends. But eventually, it stopped hurting. He became calloused to the pain. So, he spent his time searching for other demigods to aid him in his plan for revenge. But the longer he looked for allies, the more the he had given up hope, until he had no hope left to give. He returned to his home, but only more death ensued. Death seemed to follow Percy wherever he went. When he opened the door to the apartment where his Mother and Step Father lived with his little sister, Lila, he found them lifeless, lying on the floor of the living room. This broke Percy. It broke him more than he ever thought possible. He lost a part of himself that day. The part that loved, that laughed, and felt anything was gone. He was a completely different person from the moment he stepped outside of the apartment. He went back to Camp Half-Blood. He confined himself to its borders, afraid to leave.

In short, Percy Jackson was a shell of the hero that he used to be. The hero that used to be strong-minded and outgoing was no more. In his place stood the husk of his old self. Percy was aware of his predicament, but had no plans of changing now. Why should he? He had nothing to live for. And while the world outside crumbled, he sat in the cabin of his father, shackled to its interior like a prisoner confined to their cell.

He sat back on his bed, resting his head in his palms. Percy hated think about what was happening outside of camp. He reassure himself that it wasn't his problem anymore, trying to push the thoughts back. But to no avail. Even though he wanted nothing to do the problems of this world, he still felt kind of bad for its residents. Even more so, knowing what the threat that terrorized the world actually was.

Percy had never really seen anything like them. The Mortals have a number of names for them, but everyone of the them translated roughly to "Children of Death". And while it was a fitting name for the two beings that had brought more pain and destruction than anything he had ever been up against, Percy had actually known the children of death and the comparison was non-existent. It wasn't the mortal's fault though. They didn't know any better. But Percy did. and the thought terrified him.

They were known as Order and Khaos. A twin sister team of carnage. Even for Greek myth standards, they were legends. They have been here since the beginning of time. They were considered to be the most power beings to ever traverse the galaxy, moving across it and destroying everything in their path, leaving nothing more than dust and blood. The thing that terrified Percy the most was their domains. Like all gods and goddess alike, Order and Khaos had power over certain realms. Order's domain being Eternity, while her sister, Khaos' domain being Infinity. But they weren't goddesses. They happened to be the complete embodiment of their realms. At least, this was all according to Annabeth and the stories that she used to tell Percy.

Percy found that smile had creeped onto his face. She had been gone for years now, but he still missed her everyday. He pulled the nightstand drawer open and pulled out a small box. He opened it up and it reveal a diamond engagement ring. He stared at it for a bit, slightly losing track of time. He felt a small part of his former self shine through after years of depression. Percy closed his eyes. He thought back to the first time he had seen Annabeth. Her bouncy, blonde curls blowing in the wind as she ran. Her stormy, grey eyes that had looked into his soul time after time. For so long, he had dreamed of seeing her once more, of holding her in a warm embrace. Percy's mind shifted a bit. He wasn't the only one to lose someone to the likes of the this evil that plagued the earth. The mortals were probably scared beyond belief, unaware of the true situation that they had found themselves in. It had always been his duty to protect those that couldn't protect themselves.

And with that thought, Percy knew what he had to do. He closed the box and placed it back in the drawer, closing the drawer. Percy stood and gathered some supplies, his heart racing. This was the biggest decision he had made in years. He felt a wide array of emotions. He started to feel like his old self a bit. Over all the other feelings that he had started to display, Anger was on top of that list. He wasn't restored to him former self by any means, but he felt that this wasn't such a bad thing. He was going to win one way or another, whether it meant him beating two beings that seem impossible to beat, or he was going to die trying and see the love of his life one more. But regardless of what would happen to Percy, he knew that he would have to at least try. Because, while he had nothing left to lose, many others still had plenty. 'What would Annabeth want me to do' he thought to himself.

Percy zipped up his backpack, and started towards the door of the cabin. He reached for the handle, but stopped himself. He turn back towards his bed and the nightstand that sat beside it. Laying on top of the stand was a pen. But to Percy, it was more than a pen. It was his trusty weapon, Riptide. He dropped his pack and walked over to retrieve it. He grabbed and uncapped it, something that he hadn't done in awhile. He smiled. The bright gleam of the blade's celestial bronze was as strong as the day that Chiron had thrown it to him to defend himself against the Fury. He recapped it, storing it in his pocket. He picked up his pack and started back towards the door. As he opened it, he looked around the front room of the cabin once more. This place was no longer his prison. Percy was sure that whatever happened, he would never see this place again. But he didn't mind that. He wasn't the same person that had spent his childhood here. He had made up his mind. When he shut the door, he would shut out the person he used to be. That version of himself had no place in this new world.

He smirked, and closed the door, sealing it closed forever.


	2. Something Familiar

Currently, Percy hated himself. The world had been worse off than he had originally thought. As he walked through the streets of New York, his home city, he couldn't help but be sick to his stomach. Blood ran through the streets like a river. Dead bodies were strewn about. The lights of the city nowhere to be seen. Percy had never seen the city this dark before. It made him fell uneasy. The once thriving island of Manhattan was nothing more than a wasteland now. The last time he was here, it wasn't this bad. But that had been a long time ago. Things had obviously taken a turn for the worse. He cursed at himself. He should have never left the mortals to defend themselves. But that was the past, and he couldn't deter from his mission. He continued to walk through the city. As he got closer to the Empire State Building, he started to see more and more people walking about. Most were looking for food and water. Some would give him dirty looks as he walked by. Percy supposed that it was because he looked clean, something that seem to be a rarity from what he gathered.

This wouldn't hinder him. He need to make his way to Olympus, or at least whatever was left of it. His last visit to the home of the gods hadn't went to well. But that was irrelevant now. He pressed on. Closer and closer he moved towards his goal, as he did the crowds started to grow. Percy noticed several food banks that had been giving out rations. While it didn't look like much, something was always better than nothing.

He kept moving. As he approached the block that where the Empire State Building resided, he noticed that this was the only building that still had power. Percy figured that it was no coincidence. 'Hopefully, the elevator still worked', he thought to himself. When he stepped into the foyer, he stopped for a moment. He had been here so many times before. Since the end of the war with the Giants, Olympus was his home away from home. His father had requested that he spent some time there to train with some of the gods. Weapon training with Ares, tutoring with Athena, and hunting lessons from Artemis. By the time Percy had turned 19, he had perfected most fighting styles. Surprisingly, he wasn't even that bad with a bow anymore. Of course, this was only because of the countless hours that Ares and Artemis had made him practice.

He smiled a little. He had many fond memories of Olympus. From parties thrown by the gods to just walking around its streets with his closest friends, Percy truly loved it. His fondest memories of Olympus were of Annabeth and himself just exploring its secrets. But those days were just that. Memories. He sighed and snapped from his thought. He had a job to do. He walked towards the elevators and pushed the 'Up' button to signal it. He could hear the elevator groan as it was brought to life. 'It probably hadn't moved in years', he thought. Moments later, the machine dinged and the doors slide open. He stepped inside, and inserted the key that Zeus had presented to him at the end of the last war, and turned it. A secret button appeared. 600th floor. He pressed it.

A feeling of dread started to build up in his chest. He wasn't entirely sure what he would find on Olympus, but one way or another, he was about to find out. He wondered if anyone was still alive. He knew for sure that the major gods had passed on, but maybe there were still some minor gods or godlings still alive. At any rate, it didn't matter. He was here for a singular purpose.

The Doors of the elevator slide open as it reached its destination. As they did, Percy's heart fell. The entirety of Olympus was reduce to nothing more than rubble. The only standing building was the Hall of the gods, which to his relief, was the only reason he came here in the first place. Needless to say, Percy was a bit on edge. Nothing ever worked out the way he needed them to. But he pressed on. There was no reason for just to sit there and stare.

From what he could gather, Olympus was completely empty. Not a living soul had walked these streets for years. The sight of this once great city of the gods was much like the current state of the city below. In a very morbid way, it made Percy chuckle to himself. Zeus and the other inhabitants of Olympus had always thought of themselves as much better than the ones that lived in the world beneath it. Now, it seem that New York was doing something that the Olympians hadn't managed to pull off, they survived. But in their defense, the mortals probably weren't the first priority of the Children of Death.

He passed storefronts and bodegas, all of which had burned or broken down. Percy seen multiple bodies on the ground inside and outside of the stores. He guessed that many tried to run for cover from the evil that had overran the city limits, while others stay to fight, losing terribly. The sight reminded him of Camp Half-Blood. Percy was dumbfounded. He tried racking his brain for answer as to why these two beings would ever have a reason to attack the Greeks. As far as he could tell, Zeus and the other children of Kronos and Rhea were decedents of the two wandering warriors.

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He need to stay focused on his current task. Percy moved to the large front doors of the hall, pushing them open with ease. Once inside, he noticed that all but one throne was destroyed, Athena's throne. He felt a glimmer of hope. The only way to destroy a throne of an Olympian was to kill said Olympian first. He started to search relentlessly in hopes of finding any leads to the whereabouts of Athena. 'If anyone can help me defeat Order and Khaos, it would be Athena', he thought to himself. As he examined the backside of the throne, he noticed a small insignia on the bottom right-hand corner. It had eight points, almost like arrows, surrounded by a circle. And at the middle of the design sat a triangle with a open eye. Just below the symbol was a circular slot with weird markings on the inside of it. It took Percy a minute, but he finally recognized what it was. He looked down at his hand. On it, was a ring that Annabeth gave to him. She told him that it was her fathers ring and that her mother gave it to him to signify her love for him. Percy wondered if Annabeth was aware of the true function of the ring, but decided not to dwell on it too much. 'Not that it matters anymore', he thought. He took to ring off his hand and inserted it into the slot. As he turned it, the ground of the hall began to shake. The floor around Athena's throne began to open, revealing a staircase beneath it.

Percy smiled. He was on the right track. He started his descent down the stairs. The further down he went, the darker it became. After a bit, he felt a shift under his feet and heard a rumble. He assumed that the entrance was shutting because the lighting in the already dark hallway turned pitch black. He shrugged and pressed on. After a couple minutes of fumbling around in the dark, he started to see a dimly lit room up ahead. He picked up the pace, nearing his destination. Once inside, he found he was holding his breathe. The room in question wasn't a very big room, but it was inside that mattered. On the far side of the room, five display case lined the border on the room, each of them displaying a different weapon.He made his way over to them and examined them. In the first was a long sword made entirely of gold, the second was a Bow. The third and fourth were two daggers, one look as it was forged on the sun while the other looked like a piece of the moon. And the last weapon was a trident. As he examined them closer, he noticed nameplates on the bottom corner of each display. He had heard of this room before while he and Annabeth had been explore Olympus. It was the vault of the gods. It was said to house the war time weapons of the gods.

"Percy" he heard from behind him. He quickly turned towards the center of the room. He stiffled back a gasp.

"Ann..Annabeth?" he was taken back. "How are you...I thought you were..." he trailed off.

"I am" she said. She smiled softly. "I knew that you would find this place. At least, I hoped."

"What's going on? How are you talking to me right now?" he asked. He felt as if his brain was about to explode.

"When i was in the process of rebuilding Olympus, I was tasked with build a secret vault for the weapons of the gods. When I was almost finished with it, my mother approached me. She told me that she wanted me to leave an essence of my soul here, to act as a guide to whomever finds it."

"So, you aren't really my Annabeth. You're just some copy." he stated.

"I'm still every bit of your Wise Girl" she smiled. Percy fought back tears. "I have all of my memories, all the way up until...my final moments. I remember fighting by your side until my dying breathe."

"How is that possible?" he asked. "How could you remember your death, but still be here talking to me?"

"Im tethered to this vault, Percy. When my soul left my body, it returned here. I prayed for the day that i would be able to see you again. I've missed you so much." She started to choke up a bit. A single tear ran down her ghostly check. "Its not a mistake that you've found this place, Percy. It has always been your destiny to save the world. This time isn't any different. Take these weapons. All of them. Search the world for others that have been wronged by the evils that have plagued us, and equip them. They will help you fight, and win."

Percy was at a loss for words. "Can't i just stay here with you?" he asked jokingly, but he already knew the answer. He sighed. "I've really missed you. And now i have to leave you again." She nodded. "This really sucks, you know."

"I know," she said, and she snapped her fingers. "The weapon cases are open to you. Take them." Percy nodded, and walked over, gathering them all into a bag that had been laying near the entrance.

He stood and start back towards Annabeth. "When this is over, im going to figure out how to get you out of this vault, you know." he smiled at her. "I'm not going to leave you stranded down here."

"Percy..." she said softly. "I can't stay here. This place is my prison. I need you to destroy this vault."

"What?" he asked, his jaw dropped. It becane clear to Percy what she was asking for. "Annie, i can get you out of here. I promise."

"I'm so tired, Percy. I'm only a fraction of myself anymore. Please. I want to rest." She was right. Percy could tell. He didn't want to admit it, but she looked like she had aged decades during their interaction.

"I'm ready for this all to end, Percy."

He nodded. He wasn't going to let her be in pain any longer. He had failed her once by letting her die. He wasn't going to fail her again. "What do i have to do?" he asked.

"There is a lever near the entrance of the tunnel. On your way out, pull it" she said. He nodded once more. "I love you so much, Seaweed Brain. I'm so happy that i have had you in my life."

"I love you too, Wise Girl. I'll never forget you." He found himself crying. He picked up the bag of weapons and started towards the door. He turned one last time to see Annabeth. She smiled at him, and waved. He turn again and started walking towards the exit. As he did, Percy remembered his first meeting with Annabeth. He remember their first quest together. He remember their first kiss. Before his knew it, he had arrived at the end of the tunnel. He seen the lever, and with a heavy sigh, he pulled it. A timer had started above the lever. 10..9..8..7.. As he exited the tunnel, he kept counting. 6..5..4.. The floor around Athena's throne began to close. 3..2..1.. As the final piece fell into place, he felt the ground shake a bit.

And with a heavy sigh, he said to himself "Goodbye, Annebeth."


	3. Decisions

Percy wanted to cry. He wanted to scream out in anger. He knew that destroying the vault was the right thing to do, but he felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest... again. He had to calm himself. If he didn't, would get himself killed. And she would have died in vain. He breathed. His heart began to slow. He knew that he needed to keep moving. He remembered the bag that he had brought out of the vault with him. The weapons of the gods. He reached for the bag. When he looked inside, the weapons weren't there. Instead they had been replaced by jewelry. He reach inside and grab one if the items. A necklace made out of solid gold. Percy instantly knew which of the weapons it had been. He put it around his neck, and touch the center of the pendent. Out of his hand sprang a large gold long sword.

Percy examined it closer. He focused on the hilt for a moment. It had the head of an eagle on the end, and the pommels of the hilt looked like eagles wings. As he look at the blade itself, he noticed engravings along each side. But as to what they were, he couldn't quite make them out. He gave it a quick swing. It was perfectly balanced. It felt better in his hands than his own sword did. He had to admit, Zeus had good taste when it came to weapons. He returned the sword to the scabbard that had appeared on his side. When he did, both the sword and the scabbard disappeared and the necklace reappeared. He removed it from his neck and placed it back in the bag.

He reached in and he pulled out two rings, one was silver and the other gold. He slipped them on, one on each hand. He gave the right on his right hand, the silver ring, a quick tap, and a dagger appeared in his hand. He quickly summoned the other dagger. Percy admired the craftsmanship of the dual blades. The Daggers of The Twin gods. Artemis and Apollo. The blade in his right hand was glowing a dim silver. It was made completely of silver, but if Percy had known any better, it looked like it had been a fragment of the moon. The Blade in his left hand was a different story. It was made out of solid gold. But when Percy looked into it, it look as though there were solar flares dancing across the blade. Percy found that he could stop staring into it. Like the Sword of Zeus, they too had strange engravings on their blade. Percy hadn't ever really used a blade so short, daggers were always Annabeth's thing. But he gave them a try anyways. As he swung them, he could understand why this was the preferred weapon of the daughter of Athena, they were so versatile, so easy to use. They chopped through the air with little resistance. As much as he liked them, something just felt wrong about using them, but he couldn't place the feeling. He sheathed them and they returned to their ring form. He slipped them off and tossed them back in the bag.

He continued. He removed a small bracelet. On it, there was a small charm in the shape of a boar. Percy recognized the symbol. The Mark of Ares. He fastened it to his wrist, and pinched the charm. The bracelet transformed into a metal vambrace, while the charm grew into a large, red compound bow. He felt a heaviness on his back. He reached back to find a quiver full of arrows. Percy snickered to himself. He never thought of Ares as someone that used a bow. Maybe War-time Ares was different from his usual self. Ares had grown on Percy. He hated to admit it, but Ares wasn't that bad of a guy when he had gotten to know him. Ares was the reason that Percy was know as one of the best fighter that the Greeks at ever seen. There wasn't to much that Percy couldn't handle. At least until the Children of Death decided to come and crash the party. Anger began to build in him. As it did, the bow began to glow a brilliant yellow and then caught on fire. He drew an arrow and brought it up to the bow. As soon as they touched, the arrow caught fire. Percy found his target, A bodega that still stood, even though it had been vacant for years. He smiled and release the arrow. The arrow flew at speeds that would be conceivable to the mortal mind. In less than a second, the arrow had flown 400 feet . And when it connected to its target, the arrowhead detonated into a decent sized explosion. He examined the bow once more, before tapping the vambrace twice, putting it away. It shrank back into the tiny bracelet, and Percy took it off.

As he placed the bracelet back in the sack, he noticed Something that wasn't like the others. It was a Puka Shell necklace. He took a heavy breathe, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that this was his fathers. He slid it over his head. He closed his eyes, trying not to let the tears overtake him. Today had been a pretty rough day for Percy. He regained his composer, he didn't have time to lose it. He reached up to the necklace and tapped it. A large Trident appeared in his hand. It was made of solid gold, but every time that Percy tried to focus in on the weapon, he caught hints of blue in it. He gave it a quick jab. It was lightweight, It felt right in his hands. He had never held a weapon that felt so perfect. He pulled a pen from his pocket, uncapped it, and examined it. Compared to the Trident, Riptide felt heavy, like it wasn't the same sword that Chiron tossed to him all the years ago. It was an odd feeling. Percy recapped the sword and tapped twice on the necklace that he was wearing, putting away the Trident. He continued to look at the pen.

He began to walk over towards the center of the once great throne room of the gods. As he neared the middle of the room, he came to the Flames of Olympus. For a moment, he looked back and forth between the fire and the pen, contemplating his next move. And then, he tossed the pen into the flames. As he did, the fire grew twenty feet in the air. He dropped to his knees and watched the flames dance. And as they started to die down after a couple moments, he stood up and dusted off his pants, and turn his back to the fire. He walked to the bag that he had left on the ground, and picked it up. He slung it over his shoulder and started towards the door, and exited the throne room.

He walked out onto the dimly lit streets of Olympus. The air was brisk, he zipped up his hoodie. He studied his surroundings, unsure of what would happen next. But the fates had other plans for him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted movement. Before he could truly assess the situation, a loud explosion was hear to his left. He seen two figures appear out of the shadows, followed by two more figures. From what Percy could, the two groups seemed to be observed them closely. They moved with incredible speed, and before he knew it, they had started to move towards him. They rushed passed him, moving into the throne room. Within seconds, Percy heard the fighting starting again. He peeked around the corner and watched the two groups as they went head to head.

He noticed that both sets of people had a distinct look to them, as if they were separated by factions. The first set of fighters looked as if they were no older than Percy. One Girl and One Boy. They both look like they were built for battle, probably trained from a young age, just as Percy was. The girl had long, braided hair that looked to almost be white. She was tall but from what he could tell, she wasn't taller than he was. She had a tan complexion, as if she spent most of her time out in the sun. The boy had similar features. He was definitely taller than Percy. He was tan and built like the girl. The only real difference between the two was their hair, his being light brown. If they weren't twins, they probably were siblings.

They other group was another story. Percy couldn't tell what they looked like. They Had their faces covered with a hood. Percy chuckled. It seemed like no matter how much that they moved, the hoods never moved from the place. From the look of the duo, they weren't very tall, but they made up for it with their speed. They moved quickly and quietly. The Fighting slowed to a crawl, the two groups realizing that they weren't going to outmatch each other.

"Give up, Erik. We don't have all day" one of the hooded figures said. He had an accent, but not one that Percy was expecting. It sounded as if the hooded figure was from the Boston area. It wasn't the thickest Boston accent that he had ever heard, but it was still pretty noticeable.

"Not Going to happen, Wayne. Astrid and I have been looking for the vault way longer than you two have. We deserve whats inside of it." Percy assumed that this was Erik talking, which meant the one next to him must have been Astrid. While Erik and Wayne fought over who was the rightful owner of the contents of the vault, the other two of the four seemed to finally notice Percy.

"Erik..." Astrid trailed off. Her eyes kept moving back and forth between Percy and the bag that he held in his hands. Erik's gaze turned towards Percy, and his eyes widened. "Hey," she started again. "What's in the bag?" All four of the warriors started to walk towards Percy, acting as if the battle that had just taken place never happened. Percy started to feel a bit nervous, but he would fight them if he had to. There was no way that he was going to let them take the weapons. He dropped the bag and tapped the Puka Shells that hung around his neck. Out sprang the trident of his father. The group that approached stopped dead in their tracks.

"Don't even think about it." Percy said. Erik smirked, and continued to walk towards Percy. Percy raised the trident higher, but it didn't deter Erik from continuing to move forward.

"Listen, we just need what's in the bag. Give it to us and we will be on our way." Percy's blood began to boil. Anger started to raise in him. Erik was around twenty feet and closing. The trident in his hands stayed level with Erik's throat, but he continued on. "Chill out, kid. There are things going on here that you aren't aware of. Why don't you give those weapons to someone who can actually use them." Percy wasn't to keen on the way this guy was acting. He definitely didn't like being called a kid. He had went through too much for someone to talk down to him. He hated being patronized. Ten feet stood between Percy and Erik. Something snapped in Percy. He could feel a wave rush through him. But what we interesting was that he could feel the same wave rushing through Erik. Percy smiled.

Erik stopped. He was five feet from his goal. But it looked as though this hadn't been his intentions. He started to scream in frustration. "What is this? What are you doing to me?" He asked, almost begging for an answer. The answer was that even Percy couldn't truly put together what was happening. All he knew was that he was somehow controlling the moisture in his body. A pained look on his face turned into pure agony. To be fair, if he would have stopped, Percy wouldn't of had to resort to this. He almost felt bad for the torture that he was putting Erik through. But he stayed strong. The Percy that would have cared enough to stop this madness died long ago. Astrid had started to move towards Erik, apparently not too concerned about what Percy would do to her. Erik looked as if he was about to pass out. Percy released him from his hold. Astrid rushed to his side, pulling his limp form off of the ground.

"What did you do to him?" she asked. The tone in her voice took Percy be surprise. It reminded him of Annabeth. The anger subsided in Percy at the thought of her.

"He will be fine."

While Astrid was with Erik, the two hooded figures started to approach Percy. They walked calmly until they were standing in front of him.

"You, my friend, are one scary individual. I'm Wayne, and this is Tara." He held his hand out for Percy to take it, but Percy's arms remained at his side. Wayne lowered his hand, and smile. "You're not very friendly, are you?" he asked. Percy considered his options. He could just walk away, find the two beings of power that have brought him so much pain, and try to defeat them. But he knew he would fail. Annabeth's words rang in his ears. 'Find others that have been wrong by this evil and they will help you.' Percy began to pace back and forth.

"Why are you looking for the weapons inside the vault?" he asked them. they all looked at him with a surprised expression.

"Have you not seen what is happening out here? People are dying. The earth is wasting away to nothing because of what Khaos and Order have done. With those weapons, they will pay for the evil that they have brought upon this land." Percy could see a fire in his eyes. He looked at the other three. Erik had rose from the floor with Astrid's help. Percy realised that they felt the same emotions that he was feeling. Defeat.

"They killed your families as well?" Percy asked. They all nodded. He could see the hurt that they all have felt. "Then why do you fight each other for the weapons? Why not just work together?" he asked.

Astrid began to speak. "Because of the promise that Khaos and Order had made the world."

"Promise?" Percy asked.

She started again. "They said that if someone defeated them, that they would return their people to the realm of the living." Percy pondered this for a moment. If he defeated them, he could bering Annabeth back. His heart leapt through his chest.

"And what would happen if we all defeated them?" Percy asked. They looked puzzled.

"We had really thought of that.. " Wayne had trailed off.

"That will never work. I doubt they were even telling the truth about bring one of our families back." Tara said.

"Maybe they weren't, but wouldn't it be worth a shot? And even if they don't keep their promise. we still have to get rid of them." Astrid replied. Tara nodded her head with a reluctance.

Erik looked at Percy. "So what then? We all join together and try to take them out, possibly missing out on our chance to bring our families back. No. I can't take that chance. We can't."

Percy shrugged. "I don't really care what you can or can't do. Thing is you're not going to be able to defeat them by yourself. It doesn't matter how much power you think those weapons will give you. Khaos and Order aren't just your regular bad guys that you can fight with hope and a plucky attitude. They are much more powerful then you'll ever know. Your only choice is to fight with each other. And even then, you'll probably still lose."

Wayne chuckled. "That was the worst pep talk ever." He looked at Tara, and then over to Erik and Astrid. "He's right, though. We can't fight them on our own. We've tried, and look how far that's gotten us. I can't believe it has taken us this long to realize it, but we need you. And unfortunately, you need us. What do you say? We're in if you are."

Erik seemed to weigh his options, but he reluctantly agreed. "Fine, but I'm not taking orders from Wayne"

Astrid smiled, "You won't have too. It looks like you'll be taking orders from him." She pointed to Percy. He wasn't surprised. He couldn't count how many times he has been put in this position. He wasn't going to shy away from it. They needed a leader and he needed to end the reign of Khaos and Order.

"Whatever, as long as i get one of those sweet weapons he's got in the bag." Erik said.

"Yeah, 'cause that's all you care about, isn't it? Just getting the biggest weapon you can" Tara said, laughingly. That earned a chuckle from Wayne. "So, what now?" she continued.

Percy pondered this. He had the weapons. He found those that would help him defeat the two that brought so much pain to not only him, but to everyone that had the pleasure of calling this world home. Could it really he that easy? Could he just walk up to Khaos and Order and kill them? 'No' he thought. Nothing in his life had ever been that easy, he doubted that it would start now. But they needed to do something. He wouldn't sit idly by anymore. If nothing else, they would find the twin tormentors. After that, he would determine what would happen next.

He must have been in thought for a few moments, because he noticed that all four of his newly-formed team were watching him. "Now, we find Khaos and Order."


End file.
